Oak Ridge Preschool, nonprofit and Y-12 contractor work on garden program
A new “therapeutic” gardening program at Oak Ridge Schools Preschool will help children and their parents learn to grow vegetables.
Grow Oak Ridge, which is working on the garden, received $5,625 for the program.
It was one of 25 nonprofits to receive funds from Consolidated Nuclear Security Community Investment Fund this year. CNS is the company that runs the Y-12 National Security Complex nuclear weapons facility for the federal government.
Katie Roach, program coordinator with Grow Oak Ridge, said her organization already had a program to help people grow vegetable gardens at their homes.
However, she wanted to set up a growing space at Oak Ridge Schools Preschool, which Consolidated Nuclear Security Y-12’s grant will help the group do.
She said she’d been talking with Oak Ridge Schools Preschool about working with them for a few years and was now excited to receive the grant to make the program possible.
CNS, in a news release, announced that the grant will be “to establish a therapeutic gardening program at Oak Ridge Schools’ Preschool to mitigate the negative effects of childhood poverty, anxiety and food insecurity by exposing both children and their parents to the positive social, emotional and physical benefits of growing vegetables and eating healthy.”
Roach cited higher food costs as a reason why teaching about gardening was important.
“You can get a tomato plant for $1.95 and get 10 to 20 pounds of tomatoes versus buying a tomato for a dollar at the store,” she said. “You can get a whole lot more from growing your own food.”
She said it’s also important for children to see how food grow.
“Gardening is relaxing and therapeutic for children and adults,” said Rebecca Williams, Grow Oak Ridge’s director.
“Plus, we hope to include some preschool families into our popular ‘Grow Your Own’ program, which gives families seeds, seedlings, hand tools, organic fertilizer, and most importantly, education to help them grow their own food,” she said.
The fund is a collaboration between the East Tennessee Foundation and CNS Y-12.
This year, 25 East Tennessee nonprofits received a total of $180,000 from the CNS Community Investment Fund.
The other organizations were Boys & Girls Clubs of the Tennessee Valley, Campbell County Children’s Center, CASA Corridor of East Tennessee, CASA Monroe, CASA of Campbell County, Inc., CASA of the Tennessee Heartland, Inc., Childhelp Tennessee, Compassion Counseling, Empower Cocke County, Florence Crittenton Agency, Fostering Hope TN, Girls Incorporated of the Tennessee Valley, Girls on the Run Greater Knoxville, Good Samaritan Center of Loudon County, Helping Mamas, Inc., HOLA Lakeway, Iva’s Place, Inc., Mental Health Association of East Tennessee, New Midway Baptist Church, SafeSpace, Scott County Shelter Society, Second Harvest Foodbank of East Tennessee, Shangri-La Therapeutic Academy of Riding and Shora Foundation.
